Feb 21 (Reuters) – Canadian Solar said on
Tuesday it shipped more solar panels in the fourth quarter than
it previously expected, while its rival Yingli Green Energy
warned its sales fell short of its forecast.

A steep 50 percent drop in prices of solar panels during
2011 left many manufacturers scrambling to sell a glut of
supplies at the end of the year, and prompted many companies to
run factories at reduced levels.

Feb 21 (Reuters) – Anadarko Petroleum Corp
Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett is stepping down in May and
handing the job over to Chief Operating Officer Al Walker, the
oil and gas producer said on Tuesday.

The timing of the move by Hackett, who will remain as
executive chairman, came as a mild surprise to company watchers,

(Reuters) – A steep decline in solar panel prices is helping solar installers attract new capital, a trend likely to trigger consolidation in the fragmented industry and drive down the cost of putting the renewable energy system on rooftops.

Panel makers such as Suntech Power Holding, SunPower Corp and Yingli Green Energy suffered from a glut of supplies that pushed prices for solar panels down 50 percent last year, sending their share prices crashing.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – The number of proposed solar projects in California last year was 4-1/2 times the level the state needs to meet its 33 percent renewable power target by 2020, a state regulator said on Tuesday.

California is the biggest U.S. solar market, although its share of the new project market has slipped from 80 percent in the middle of the last decade to about a third as other states, such as Arizona, Colorado and New Jersey have stepped up support for renewable energy.

Oil and gas output at the No. 2 U.S. oil company also declined to 2.64 million barrels per day (BPD) from 2.79 million BPD a year-ago, although benchmark oil prices rose about 25 percent during the quarter.

The world’s second-largest oilfield services company posted a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and gave a fairly upbeat outlook for 2012, but investors remain worried about what wider U.S. drilling trends will mean for the U.S. market leader.